It was supposed to be Carey Mulligan's big night as she attended the première of her new movie at Cannes yesterday.

But the 24-year-old star was well and truly upstaged by fellow British actress, and one of the festival's jurors, Kate Beckinsale at the opening night of Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps.

Carey looked prim and proper in an elegant midnight blue floor-length dress while Beckinsale - who at 12 years Mulligan's senior clearly has a little more experience in getting attention on the red carpet - wore a stunning, off-the-shoulder flowing gown.

It's not about you: Cannes Film Festival juror Kate Beckinsale walked the red carpet for a third night in a row, dressed in an off-the-shoulder flowing gown, upstaging fellow British star Carey Mulligan, who wore a high-necked midnight blue number at the première of her film Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps

While both actresses kept their legs
covered up, Kate managed to add a splash of sex appeal with her off-the-shoulder number, while Carey's outfit was a high-necked design.

A nervous Carey stuck close to her co-stars as she arrived at the event, including boyfriend and cast member Shia LaBouef.

But Kate, who has walked the red
carpet three nights in a row now, confidently waved at the hordes of
photographers and meandered around by herself, ensuring all eyes were
firmly on her.

Mulligan stars as Gordon Gekko’s estranged daughter Winnie in the movie, which sees Douglas play Gekko.

Producers are reported to have looked at almost 5,000 possible candidates to play computer hacker Miss Salander.

Miss Mulligan has made it clear she would like to take on the role.

She
said in a recent interview: ‘I am obsessed with those books,” she said
last month. “I would love to do them. I am not going to lie about that.
I would love to play Lisbeth Salander.’

If
she is selected it is expected the deal will be in the region of £10
million for the three films covering the Larsson’s trilogy: The Girl
with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl who Played With Fire and The Girl Who
Kicked the Hornets Nest.

The franchise is hugely popular and has sold more the one million copies in the UK and in excess of 25 million worldwide.

The
story follows Miss Salander a bisexual private investigator and her
curious relationship with a struggling journalist. She suffered years
of abuse as a child, which has led to an intolerance of misogyny.